Saotome Ranma ain’t Stupid
by Kyryst
Summary: Ranma Satome may be naive, gullible, and ignorant, but he ain't stupid. He left that to his father.


Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma One Half nor will I ever, most likely. I am just using these characters for my own purposes.

**Saotome Ranma ain't Stupid**

Ranma was feeling rather nervous on the way back to the Tendo Dojo from Furinkan High. Akane was rather happy today, something about grades and getting to go out with her girlfriends today. He had opened his mouth to say something, and then he had seen her smile; it made him freeze. It was one of those smiles she had worn when she had asked him if they wanted to be friends when they first met. It was the one that made him flash back to Kasumi, and her words about Akane, specifically the "sweet girl" and "violent maniac" ones. It was enough to make him close his mouth to see if he would be able to see that sweet girl. He had. Her smile was there, and it honestly made him believe that perhaps there could be a marriage between the two of them in the future.

However, he was getting scared. He hadn't said anything, and none of his fiancés had done anything to antagonize each other. That was right after lunch and it had been three hours since then, and they had been… peaceful. His curse hadn't activated at all either.

"Ranma! Are you listening to me at all?" She spoke out as she kicked the fence underneath him. It left a dent, like anything she would hit. This frustrated him because as much as he tried in all the ways Pops had taught him, and he passed to her, Akane didn't understand control. Which was one of the pillars of the Art as taught in all Arts, especially Anything Goes. And until Akane understood that, anyone serious who heard her say, "I'm a martial artist, too!" would refuse to see her as a serious opponent.

"Geez! Akane, I'm trying to think about some things." Miraculously, to him at least, he didn't get unbalanced into the canal as he usually did. He managed to jump down to the ground without incident. This concerned him; it was an event that rarely happened. That caused the seed of unease to sprout a little more. He looked back at the fence with a frown. There was nothing there, and nothing was coming either. There was a distinct absence of bell chimes, chain clinks, maniac laughter, or even more deranged poetry. Creepy.

"Ranma! Come on! You can think (he heard a distinct snort from her at this point) later. Let's get home!"

"Ahhh, come on, Akane! You aren't going out till later, right?"

"Can't come some enough for me" she mumbled as she stalked off. She mumbled as she stalked off. Ranma followed her shaking his head. 'Then are times like these.'

* * *

"Ohayo!" Ranma called out as he entered the Tendo-ke and took his slippers off.

"Ranma, Akane has already gone upstairs. Did anything happen at school today?" Kasumi asked as she came into the foyer.

"No, but Akane is going out with her friends today. She's meeting up with some of her friends in a few hours, she didn't say what she was doing or when she was coming back."

"Oh? She didn't say anything to me or Father." Kasumi's smile seemed to fade a little. Ranma began to sweat a little, it felt like the sun was setting. As he looked outside the sun was in the same place it had been, making his both his unease and his respect for Kasumi grow.

"I'm sure she just forgot to tell you as she came in." He said nervously. There was a considering noise from her before it was interrupted by a boom in the direction of Furinkan. Ranma was accompanied by Kasumi as he stepped back into his slippers and back outside, ostensibly to see what happened. As they looked, there was a dust-cloud hovering over the high school. Akane came running out the door and past them as the faint sound of screaming carried on the calm evening air. She was carrying her new War hammer that she had picked up the previous week. He had made sure to stay away from her whenever it was at or near hand. _He_ certainly did not want any experience with the iron filigreed head of its head. Whenever he looked at its head he thought he saw runes similar to what him and Pops had seen at some of the older shrines and tombs they had stayed at, ones Genma had been exceeding polite and nervous in, not stealing any of the valuables, and not even any of the food! This had caused Ranma to be cautious around anything that reminded him to much of those places, something Akane's new Instrument of Pain and Correction(TM) certinly qualified as.

He flashed a regretful smile at Kasumi as he started to follow Akane towards the school. He spoke over his shoulder to the kind woman who seemed to be oddly worried. "We can handle it Kasumi, no problems."

Strange, he thought he could make out some of the screaming from here.

"It's going after the girls! Its go-"

"Ahh! No! The tentacles, the tentacles, they'r-"

Splash She spared a glare for that infernal oblivious woman that always seemed to get her, no matter the day or time.

_Three steps._

"There's only one! Kill it"

**Tentacles.**

_Two steps._

'Huh. The tentacle monsters that I can think of are-'

She slowed down. Sweat beaded on her brow.

_One step._

She stopped in the middle of the street as the wiser people began to run in the other direction.

'-the ones in those doujinshi the manga club that Ryoga and I were in during middle school. The ones about-'

"Oh, Kami, no! It's got Aoi-san and it's-"

She looked down at her presently female chest as gear in her head began to turn.

'- the shikima and _**magical girls.**_'

She dropped into the Soul of Ice and thought some more.

'I am _**magic**_ally cursed to turn into a _**girl**_. I am _**running into a fight with a tentacle demon**_. At a _**high school**_.'

Ice crystals that had formerly been the loose water on Ranma's clothing tinked when they hit the ground as Ranma hit the next level of the Soul of Ice in order to control the panic and, ah, _worry _(certainly not fear! ...well, considering she was in girl form and there was a tentacle demon on the loose, it wasn't quite convincing even in her own head...)

"Where the Hell am I now- ack!"

Ranma's thoughts clicked together as she spun and grabbed Ryoga by the shirt. Her eyes seemed to be two chips of glacier ice. "Ryoga. I ain't stupid."

Ryoga's face contained equal measures of anger and confusion.

"Something happened at the high school. Akane went running off to fight with her new war hammer. People have been screaming about a tentacle demon." Ryoga's eyes were wide and indignant. "I am a **magical girl**, and there is a **Tentacle demon** at my **High School**." Her breathe came out in banks of fog. Her eyes gleamed sapphire with fanatic belief. "I ain't an idiot, man! That leaves this situation to you, man! This is the one chance to save the girl you like! It's all yours, Ryoga. It's all on your shoulders! Can you do IT? Can you save the girls from the ravening clutches of the tentacle demons?!"

And as she spoke those words, she felt a muted surge of pride even through the Soul of ice that she could remember and paraphrase the words of one of those doujinshi from middle school at a time like this.

Ryoga's eyes took on a similar gleam as he drew himself up. His fists clenched and his aura took on a hue of determination. He inhaled deeply and nodded. "Yes! Akane, I will be there for you!" He took off, surprisingly not getting lost as he charged off. Ranma watched Ryoga go for a moment with grim satisfaction. She then headed towards the Tendo Dojo. 'I think now is the perfect time for a training journey.'

Ranma moved off with incredible grace and cold dignity practically rising off her in sheets. The words she spoke under her breath were surprisingly clear.

"Saotome Ranma ain't stupid."

Please be kind, this is kind of an off-the-top-of-my head story while I work on the ones I want to really write.


End file.
